U2 Working with Jacknife Lee on New Album?

Yesterday Fender guitar shared a new video, talking about the Edge’s new Signature Guitar. The video runs 5:16 in length and shows the Edge taking a tour of the Fender factory, discussing his new guitar, and even playing some new music in a studio in Topanga Canyon.

That studio that The Edge is working in throughout the video? It’s a studio which belongs to Jacknife Lee. Garret “Jacknife” Lee is an Irish music producer who has worked with a number of artists in the past including R.E.M., Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, and Taylor Swift. He has also worked with U2 in the past. Lee was one of the producers on the 2004 album “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.” That album had a number of producers but it was Lee that is credited for the song “A Man and a Woman”, and he was involved in production, along with others, on the songs “Miracle Drug,” “Love and Peace or Else,” “City of Blinding Lights,” “All Because of You,” “Crumbs from your Table,” “One Step Closer,” “Origin of the Species” and “Fast Cars”. Lee also worked on a number of mixes for singles and was still working with the band through to 2007’s release of “Window in the Skies”. Lee also contributed synthesizers, guitar atmospherics, keyboards, and programming on tracks on that album.

In the video from Fender we can see Edge working in studio with Dallas, his long time guitar tech. The image below shows one shot of Dallas in the studio.

It’s evident that this is the same studio that we see The Edge working in. And if he’s working in Lee’s studio, it’s likely that work is being done with Lee.

The video has an extra bonus, we hear The Edge working on some new music, playing over top of a developed piece that we can hear Bono’s vocals playing over. In the driver’s seat in the studio, none other than Jacknife Lee. Lee also appeared with The Edge on March 19 at the Kaleidoscope Gala in Santa Monica, CA. This fundraiser was to raise money for the New Roads School, and The Edge performed with Jacknife Lee and a number of other musicians.

The full video can be seen below. Footage of the new song and Edge in Topanga Canyon start at 4:00.

Many thanks to Dan for the sleuthing, and bringing this to our attention.